Parsnips are the work of the devil as are mushy peas. I really don’t care if I never hear a Beatles tune ever again. Prog Rock is pretentious rubbish and I can’t abide reality television and bananas. I also don’t like Riesling.

So how can young 20-somethings prove their value in the wine industry, without having to wait 10-15 years to do it? According to Jesse Porter, 27-year-old founder of The Young Winos social networking group in Los Angeles, it's all about showing the world that you know your stuff, and for the world to appreciate that.

Ah, the humiliation of it all: Statistics recently released by the European Union (referenced in this USDA report on the European wine market) show that the United States has passed France in exports of wine to...